- Indian students stranded in Iran amid conflict with Israel were evacuated under Operation Sindhu
- Three charter flights have brought back 827 Indian nationals, mostly students, from Iran and Turkmenistan
- Iran allowed emergency evacuations despite closed airspace due to its conflict with Israel
With an Indian flag clutched tightly in one hand and a dazed look in her eyes, Mizban stepped out of the airport visibly anxious and overwhelmed. "We saw dead bodies. Heard blasts. Saw airstrikes," she muttered, avoiding eye contact as she tried to make sense of the safety around her. "From Tehran to Qom to Mashhad, we were always on the move since the Iran-Israel conflict escalated. I'm just grateful to be home. If we're called back by my university, we'll have to decide carefully."
Not far from her stood Zubeda, a single mother from Srinagar, holding a faded photograph of her son, a medical student in Tehran. "I only spoke to him once or twice during the crisis. He hid his fear to keep me strong. I want him to become a doctor, but not at the cost of living through war," she said, while scanning every face stepping through the arrival gate at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday evening, as Mahan Air flight IRM071A touched down with 256 Indian students, most of them from the Kashmir Valley, who had been stranded in Iran since the country began trading missile strikes with Israel on June 13.
This marks the third chartered evacuation flight under India's ongoing mission Operation Sindhu, launched to bring back citizens caught in the crossfire of escalating tensions in Iran, particularly around Tehran after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Operation Rising Lion.
As part of Operation Sindhu, a total of three charter flights - two from Iran's Mashhad and one from Turkmenistan's Ashgabat - have successfully brought back 827 Indian nationals so far, including over 300 students, though the final count is still being verified. A fourth evacuation flight is scheduled to arrive in Delhi at 11:30 pm on Saturday, expected to push the total number of returnees past the 1,000 mark.
Junaid, whose younger brother and sister were among the evacuees, recalled, "She called from random numbers when she could. We were extremely worried as there was an internet shutdown and so we lost communication. The university buildings were close to bombed zones. My brother made it home yesterday, but we were terrified for my sister. She's just in her third semester at college."
Sumarah Rahman, another Kashmiri student, said, "We were terrified. Nights were filled with sirens and blasts. But now we're home. God willing, we'll go back when it's safe to finish our studies."
Ahabashi, a final-year student from Shasherf Bishti University, added, "Tehran changed overnight. The fear was real. If death had come, it would have come so far from home. But the Indian government stood by us, every detail was handled with care."
From Tehran to Qom to Mashhad: A Risky Escape
The rescued students had first been moved from Tehran to Qom, 150 kilometers to the south, before being taken to Mashhad, from where chartered flights began the homeward journey. Despite its closed airspace due to ongoing conflict with Israel, Iran made a rare exception to allow India's emergency evacuations.
India's Deputy Chief of Mission in Tehran, Mohammad Javad Hosseini, confirmed, "Iran has been aiding evacuations despite its own crisis. It's a gesture of goodwill." He noted that the evacuation has included pilgrims and medical students, many of whom were spread across universities and seminaries in the region.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association issued a statement expressing gratitude. "We thank the Government of India for their relentless efforts and timely coordination with Iranian authorities. We remain committed to the safe evacuation of all remaining students, especially those from vulnerable and remote regions," the statement read.
While the relief was palpable, a sense of uncertainty lingered. Many students had traveled to Iran in pursuit of affordable medical education, a path often unavailable in India's highly competitive academic system. Their futures now hang in limbo. "I want my son to follow his dream," Zubeda said as she waited, "but I never want to feel this fear again."
